Adjustable wrench.



PATENTED JULY 21', 1903.

F. HIRST.

ADJUSTABLE WRENCH.

APPLIOATIONTILD APB..18, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Patented :ruiy 21, leo. l

UNITED STATfEs PATENT OFFICE.;

ELIsHA F. HrRsT, oF RICHMOND, INDIANA;

ADJUSTABLE WRENCH.

SPECIFIQATION forming part et' Lettereratent No. 734,329, dated July 21, 1903.

gppucationnedApril18,1903. serinna15'a228.l (Nomodtl.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be itknown that I, ELIsHA F. HIRsT, a citi- ZenY of .the United States, and a resident of Richmond, in the county o'f Wayne and State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved Adjustable lWrench, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide novel and simple details of construction for an adjustable wrench which afford a condrawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indi-` cate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 isa sectional side View of the wrench on the line 1 1 inFig. 2, showing interior details. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view substantially on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1;`

' and Fig. 3 is a sectional side View of the slidable jawand of the handle-bar of the wrench, showing modified means for preventing too free a movement of said jaw.

The handle-bar 5 is of suitable length and other dimensions for eective service and is preferably rectangular in cross-section. A grip-piece or handle 6 of proper length may be formed or secured on one end of the hau-V dle-bar 5, and at the opposite end a jaw V7 of usual form is provided and fixed thereon,.- having its gripping-face d disposed at a right angle with the adjacent side of the handlebar.

Upon the handle-bar 5 the sliding ja-w 8 is mounted and is provided with .its extension 9, wherein a recess l) is formed. From the jaw 8 a rectangular loop S depends, and a simi-4 lar loop 9a is formed on the free end of the extension 9, the loops Si* 9 being of such interior form and size as permits them to receive and loosely t upon the handle-bar 5.

In Fig. l a preferred means for restraining the jaw 8 from moving too freely on the handle-bar is shown, consisting of the following details: A stud-bolt 10 is screwed through a threaded perforation formed transversely in the handle-bar 5 and hasits head 10a bedded in a countersunk enlargement of the threaded perforation, which permits the loops 8 91 to slide freely over said bolt-head. The oppositeend portion of the stud-bolt 10, which maybesmooth, projects into the recess b, and upon this end portion of the stud-bolt the looped end of the spiral Vspring l1 is mounted, the opposite end of saidspring being secured upon the inner end of the screwplug 12, that'is-screwed into a threaded perforation in the end wall of the jaw extension 9.

It will be seen that when the spring 11 is drawn taut by an adjustment of the screwplug 12 the tension of said spring will pull the cross-bar of the loo'p 9a into close contact with the adjacent side of the handle-bar 5, producing su fcient friction between the loop 9a and handle-bar to prevent the slidable jaw `8 from moving along the handle-bar until it is shoved. by handv into a desired position. Aslot c is formed longitudinally in the handle-bar 5 at the transverse center thereof, said slot having parallel side walls, one end wall of the slot being near the stud-bolt l0 and the opposite end wall so removed therefrom as to afford proper length to the slot for the.introduction and rocking adjustment of the cam-block 13. The cam-block 13 is parallel on its sidesand of a thickness which permits itto fit loosely in the slot c, wherein it is held to rock by the transverse shaft 14. Y

As shown in Fig. 2, the shaft 14 is jour# naled in a transverse perforation formed in the side walls of the slot c and is therein held to receive rocking adjustment, and to enable the shaft to be manually rocked one end thereof is provided with aiknurled'head 14S.`

The shaft 14 is secu red in a transverse perforation in the cam-blockd, so that the block may be rocked when the shaft-head 14:a isv manipulated.V f

The periphery of the camblock 13 is elliptically spiral, its curved edge constantly increasing in distance from the center-of the supporting-shaft 14, and from the point d nearest the axis of the shaft to the point d that detines the outer terminationof the cam IOO face astraight surface maybe formed on the cam-block.

A continuous series of teeth e is formed on the curved face of the cam-block 13, said teeth being preferably in ratchet form, hooking toward the outer end of the jaw extension 9.

Either of the teeth eis adapted to lock upon the transverse corner e on the end wall of the jaw extension Q-that is, on the upper wall defining the loop 9-when the selected tooth is disposed opposite said corner by adjustment of the cam-block, and to avoid frictional contact of the teeth e with the lower inner corner on the depending loop 9a said corner is cutaway, as shown at e2 in Figs. 1 and 3.

It will be seen that the range of sliding adjustment which maybe given to the jaw 8 is defined by the distance between the farthest tooth e and the center of the shaft 14 less the distance of the closest teeth e therefrom.

lf the adjustment to be given to the jaw 8 requires all the space that can be afforded, the cam-block 13 and shaft 14 are together turned, so as to locate the tooth e nearest to the center of the shaft in engagement with the cornere', the jaw 8 being moved at the same time to effect suoli engagement.

Upon application of the spaced jaws 7 8 upon an object to be moved by the wrench when manually operated the instant resistance to retrograde movement had by the jaw S is caused by an upward pressure of the tooth e next below the one engaged by the corner e', this upward pressure being upon the lower surface of the angular corner e', so that the slidable jaw is held stationary until the wrench-jaws 7 8 are removed from the object wth which they were. engaged.

It is evident that the sliding jaw 8 may be readily moved toward the fixed jaw 7 and be locked at'any point within the range of movement that may be given thereto by turning the shaft 14 in a proper direction.

In Fig. 3 a modified means for producing moderate frictional resistance to restrain the sliding jaw 8 from improper movement is shown and consists in the provision ofa platespring 15, seated at its ends in shallow recesses g, formed in the inner surfaces of the loops 8a 9, the spring being bent so as t0 im pinge its convex side against the handle-bar 5, which will press the upper sides of the loops 8a 9a upon the opposite side of the handle-bar, causing friction between said engaged parts, so as to hold the jaw 8 until it is purposely moved.

Having described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination with a slotted handlebar, a fixed jaw thereon, and a slidable jaw, of a peripherally-toothed cam-block held to rock in the slot of the handle-bar, and adapted to have engagement between two adjacent selected teeth thereon, with a corner on the slidable jaw to lock it stationary.

2. The combination with a slotted handlebar, a fixed jaw at one end of the handle-bar, a slidable jaw having an extension thereon, and means for restraining the free movement of the slidable jaw, of a cam-block held to rotate in the slot in the handle-bar, and teeth on the periphery of the cam-block adapted to interlock with a corner on the free end of the jaw extension.

3. The combination with a slotted handlebar, a xed jaw at one endv of the handle-bar, a slidable jaw having an extension thereon, and means for restraining the free movement of the slidable jaw, of a spiral-contoured camblock, loosely engaging within the slot in the handle-bar, teeth on the cam-surface of the block, a transverse shaft journaled in the side walls of the slot and whereon the cam-block is secured near the initial point on the camface, and an enlargement on one end of the cam-shaft to facilitateits rocking movement.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELlS I-IA IP.' Il l RST.

W' i tnesses:

BENJAMIN F. HARRIS, JONATHAN W. NEWMAN. 

